Shoal are leaders in systems thinking and Silver sponsors of our Australian Universities Rocket Challenge in 2020. In their daily work, Shoal apply systems thinking concepts to help their clients define, manage and deliver big projects in complex environments; the kinds of projects that you dream of, but then have nightmares trying to figure out! These projects often have lots of moving pieces that are interrelated and technically challenging, so they use a rigorous, complex systems engineering approach, based on best practices. By approaching complex problems using systems engineering, all the pieces of the system come together to enable their clients to make better decisions, adapt, avoid risks and achieve objectives.
To assist our competitors, Shoal have captured their approach in this video: An introduction to Systems Engineering. It will introduce you to systems engineering and some of the concepts, approaches and methodologies Shoal use to understand, define and solve complex problems. They introduce the Systems Engineering Vee and talk through a specific example: if we were on the moon and wanted to collect samples, what would we design to do it?
We encourage you to watch and learn, to assist in your team as you prepare for our rocket challenge. Think about the Systems Engineering Vee and how it can be used to develop your design and think more broadly about the environment and other factors that may influence outcomes, especially in your modelling and simulation approach.
Shoal is introducing the Shoal Modelling & Simulation Award this year, so this is an essential step in your preparations.